FOUR STROKE BARON – Data Diamond

RELEASE YEAR: 2024

BAND URL: https://www.fourstrokebaron.com/

After carving out a niche with their theatrical blend of heavy progressive rock and ’80s-inspired new wave with Four Stroke Baron²⁰¹⁴ EP, and King Radio²⁰¹⁵, Planet Silverscreen²⁰¹⁷ (debut for Prosthetic) as well as Classics²⁰²¹, Nevada trio Four Stroke Baron returned with last year’s May 31st Data Diamond²⁰²⁴, their fourth full-length album and arguably their most polished effort to date. Released via Prosthetic Records, Data Diamond continues the band’s genre-mashing mission — but this time, the shine doesn’t always cut deep.

From the outset, the production is immaculate. Mixed and produced with crystal clarity (a perfect 6/6 in the production department), the album sounds enormous, every synth swirl and guitar punch locked into place. The craftsmanship is undeniable — Kirk Witt’s vocals, in particular, are a highlight. He seamlessly channels a host of new wave titans, invoking Curt Smith (Tears For Fears), Robert Smith (The Cure), Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran), Morten Harket (A-ha) and even David Gahan and Martin Gore (Depeche Mode), often within the same track. It’s this vocal versatility that gives Data Diamond its most memorable moments.

Musicianship sits at a solid 4/6, but it’s the creativity that gets top marks (6/6). There’s no shortage of wild genre collisions, and Four Stroke Baron continue to sound like no one else — equal parts Nine Inch Nails, Between the Buried and Me, and Melted Bodies, with the rhythmic heft of Pantera or Fear Factory lurking just beneath the surface.

Where Data Diamond stumbles slightly is in the songwriting, which averages out to a respectable but uneven 4.1/6. Side A feels tighter and more impactful (4.5) than Side B (3.8), which meanders and occasionally loses focus. While standout tracks like “Cyborg Pt. 3 (Because I’m God)”, “The Witch”, and the expansive title track showcase the band’s peak potential, others like “Open The World” and “People in My Image” drag under the weight of their own ambition.

Compared the immediate predecessor Classics (which I reviewed and scored 4.5/6), Data Diamond feels like a more sonically adventurous but slightly less emotionally resonant record. It’s undeniably bold, often brilliant, and always interesting — but not always cohesive. Having said that, I agree with the band’s own assessment that this one gets right to the point rather than ushering us slowly and almost annoyingly teasing us with the opening ceremonies, as was the case on the 2021 third album.

In spite of the aforementioned shortcomings, Four Stroke Baron remain one of the most inventive bands in heavy prog rock today, next to Melted Bodies, with the latter noticeably more coherent. Data Diamond is a good, occasionally great album that dazzles more than it moves. For fans of experimental genre-blending and lush, cinematic production, it’s still well worth the ride.

HIGHLIGHTS: Cyborg Pt. 3 (Because I’m God), Data Diamond, The Witch